Cardfight!! Vanguard (カードファイト!! ヴァンガード, Kādofaito!! Vangādo) is a Japanese trading card game created in collaboration between Akira Itō (Yu-Gi-Oh! R), Satoshi Nakamura (Duel Masters), and Bushiroad president Takaaki Kidani. A 2011 anime television series based on the game was produced by TMS Entertainment and aired in Japan on TV Tokyo starting on January 8, 2011.

Following the anime debut, the official trading card game began its release on February 26, 2011. In addition, a manga series began publishing in Kerokero Ace magazine on March 26, 2011 and carried on by "Monthly Bushiroad" on October 2013.

The anime continued for three additional seasons until its series continuity in Cardfight!! Vanguard G. The second season entitled Cardfight!! Vanguard: Asia Circuit aired on April 8, 2012. The third season entitled Cardfight!! Vanguard: Link Joker aired on January 13, 2013. The fourth season entitled Cardfight!! Vanguard: Legion Mate aired on March 9, 2014. An anime/live-action film was released on September 13, 2014 in Japan that a bridges between the new and old series.

The first season of Cardfight!! Vanguard G (カードファイト!! ヴァンガードG, Kādofaito!! Vangādo G) aired on TV Tokyo from October 26, 2014 to October 5, 2015.

The second season entitled Cardfight!! Vanguard G: GIRS Crisis aired on October 11, 2015. The third season entitled Cardfight!! Vanguard G: Stride Gate aired from April 17, 2016 to September 25, 2016. The fourth season entitled Cardfight!! Vanguard G: NEXT aired on October 2, 2016 with a fifth season being planned out.

Contents

The protagonist of this story, Aichi Sendou, is a timid boy in his third year of middle school. He had been living his life looking backward rather than forward, trying not to stand out. However, he had one thing that kept him going - the "Blaster Blade", a card from a card game that was given to him when he was little. That card is the reason why he begins to engage in Card Fights, something that changes his life drastically. The name of the card game is "Vanguard". The game takes place in a different planet called "Cray", and due to a never-before-seen play system, it becomes popular throughout the world.

Aichi, immediately attracted by Vanguard, meets friends such as Misaki Tokura and Kamui Katsuragi, along with other rivals. Through friendly rivalry with them, Aichi begins to enjoy a fulfilling life. Aichi, however, has a goal: to once again battle with a Vanguard Fighter by the name of Kai Toshiki, who is an aloof and cold-hearted high schooler who has outstanding abilities in the world of Vanguard. He is also the reason why Aichi started playing the game. For him, Kai is the person who saved him from his boring life and introduced him to Vanguard. In order to get better at Vanguard, Aichi puts his soul into it every day. He wishes that someday, he'll be able to battle Kai and have him recognize his worth.

After Aichi and his Q4 team won the national tournament, a strange phenomenon occurs when he meets a young boy named Takuto Tatsunagi. The Royal and Shadow Paladins, and Kagero clans have been wiped from existence, and Aichi's deck changed into a Gold Paladin Deck. Team Q4 participates in the Vanguard Fight Circuit around Asia to find answers from Takuto as the tournament's sponsor. In the process, Aichi meets another Psyqualia fighter named Leon Soryu and his long-lost Aqua Force clan, where their motives are more ambitious than intentions.

Months have passed after the VF Circuit, and the members of Team Q4 have drifted apart. Aichi enters the Miyaji Academy, where the school's background focuses more on looking towards the future and studying. Still believing Vanguard to be mature to reckon with, Aichi establishes a Cardfight Club with its members, Kourin Tatsunagi, Naoki Ishida, Shingo Komoi, and Q4's Misaki. While Aichi struggles to keep the club alive despite the Student Council's interference, an extraterrestrial entity called "Link Joker" (shadows from the Void from last season) starts corrupting various fighters "reversing" them to increase its power. Now its up to Aichi to save his friends, allies and the world.

Life seems to have returned to normal after the battle against Link Joker with one person missing. Aichi Send, the earth's savior from the Link Joker invasion has vanished from existence with only his best mate, Kai being able to remember him. Carrying on Aichi's Royal Paladin Deck with Aichi's avatar card "Blaster Blade", Kai manages to gather other comrades who remember Aichi: Naoki, Misaki, Miwa, and Kamui. His investigation eventually to the discovery of the sanctuary and the Quatre Knights, four magically-gifted cardfighters who intend to stop anyone finding Aichi. Will Kai recover Aichi and return everything to the way it was?

Three years after the events of Legion Mate, the new protagonist Chrono Shindou is an apathetic teenager who finds a Vanguard deck and a map to "Card Capital 2" in his school locker one day. After being taught how to play Vanguard by the store's part-time owner and Q4 teammate, Kamui Katsuragi, Chrono begins his venturing in the world of Vanguard where he befriends Shion Kiba and Tokoha Anjou who became his long-term companions. Together they form Team TRY3 and enter the national tournament hosted by the Vanguard's national association "FIVA". As the more Chrono battles while learning victory is not everything, he begans to discover more questions about himself, the deck featuring the enigmatic "Gear Chronicle" clan, and his father's disappearance 10 years prior.

The "G Quest", a major event organised by "FIVA". Those who conquer the 6 Branch Quests will be honored with the title "Generation Master", and the chance to become a Clan Leader. Team TRY3 gets all fired up over their new goal, while a massive plot that would lead to the destruction of Vanguard has been set in motion behind the scenes. To counter the plot's mastermind, Kouji Ibuki devises a counterplan named "Plan-G" that blends with the "G Quest", where legend class fighters such as Toshiki Kai, Ren Suzugamori and Leon Soryu take part.

Kouji Ibuki's Plan G is in effect, and they've located Ryuzu Myoujin's headquarters. It's up to Team TRY3 and their friends to stop Ryuzu's ambitions! However, Ryuzu has a defense force called the "Company", whose members include rival Shouma Shinonome and Am Chouno! What will happen to Luna Yumizuki after she was recognized as having more Stride Force than Am did? What will happen to Zodiac Time Beasts if the Stride Gate will open? Will Vanguard be led to a perfect future?

Five months have passed after Team TRY3's battle against Ryuzu Myoujin and his "company", the team decided to split up and go their separate ways with all three of them enrolling to different high schools. The story focuses on Chrono Shindou transferring to Tokyo Metropolitan Harumi High School. Chrono forms a new team with Taiyou Asukawa and Kazuma Shouji, a gloomy boy who attends the same school as Chrono. Shion and Tokoha have formed their own teams as well. What new challenges await Chrono in the aftermath of all these changes?